Des Moines Leadership Visit: What We Learn When We Leave Home

Photo by Bill Straus Photography.

By Jennifer Stolo, President & CEO, Christian Appalachian Project

Less than 72 hours.
 
That's about how much time participants on Commerce Lexington's Annual Leadership Visit spend immersed in another community. Yet somehow, those few whirlwind days often generate ideas, relationships, and insights that shape our own communities for years to come.
 
Last week, I had the opportunity to join nearly 150 other Kentucky business, nonprofit, education, and government leaders in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of Commerce Lexington's 2026 Leadership Visit. The itinerary was packed and the purpose straightforward: to learn from another community's successes, challenges, and vision for the future.
 
At first glance, Lexington and Des Moines appear to have much in common. Both are growing regional hubs with strong healthcare, education, agriculture, and business sectors. Both are communities that take pride in their quality of life, civic engagement, and commitment to economic development. Both are navigating questions around workforce development, housing, infrastructure, and long-term growth.

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​Yet, the value of this experience isn't found in identifying similarities. It is found in discovering how another community approaches the same challenges we face at home- in Lexington and throughout the region.
 
Too often, leaders become consumed by the immediate demands of their organizations and communities. We spend our days focused on budgets, staffing, strategic plans, organizational goals, and operational priorities. While those responsibilities are important, they can sometimes limit our perspective.
 
Leadership visits create an opportunity to step outside of our day-to-day responsibilities and ask a different set of questions.
 
How are other communities addressing workforce shortages?
How are they attracting and retaining young professionals?
How are they creating affordable housing opportunities?
How are they fostering innovation and entrepreneurship?
How are they building partnerships across sectors to solve complex challenges?
 
Most importantly, what lessons can we bring home that will help strengthen our own community?

A panel of agricultural leaders from Des Moines discussed some of the innovative things in their industry. (Photo by Bill Straus Photography)

​Throughout our time in Des Moines, one theme emerged repeatedly: meaningful progress rarely happens in isolation.
 
The most successful initiatives we encountered were not driven by a single business, nonprofit, government agency, or educational institution. Instead, they were the result of leaders working together around a shared vision for their community.
 
That lesson resonates deeply with me as President & CEO of Christian Appalachian Project (CAP).
 
The challenges facing Appalachia are significant and well-documented. Families continue to struggle with poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, limited access to healthcare, and workforce barriers. While organizations like CAP play an important role in addressing these needs, meaningful change requires collaboration, trust, and a willingness to learn from one another.
 
The strongest communities are built through collaboration.
 
They are built when nonprofits, businesses, faith communities, educational institutions, and government leaders recognize that they share a common responsibility for the future.
 
And they are built when leaders are willing to listen, learn, and adapt.
 
One of the most valuable aspects of the Leadership Visit was the opportunity to spend time not only with leaders from Des Moines, but also with fellow leaders from Central Kentucky. While we represented different industries, organizations, and missions, we shared a common desire to make our community stronger.

A panel of local Lexington leaders recapped some of the takeaways from the Des Moines Leadership Visit. (Photo by Bill Straus Photography)

Those conversations often become as valuable as the formal presentations themselves.
 
Ideas are exchanged.
 
Partnerships are formed.
 
Perspectives are challenged.
 
And relationships are strengthened.
 
In many ways, that may be the most important outcome of all.
 
Communities thrive when leaders know one another, trust one another, and are willing to work together toward common goals.
 
As I reflect on the experience, I am grateful to Commerce Lexington for continuing to invest in opportunities like this. While it is an investment of time, energy, and resources, the long-term value extends far beyond the experience itself.
 
The real impact begins when participants return home.
 
The challenge for all of us is not simply to admire what another community has accomplished. It is to thoughtfully consider how those lessons might apply here in Central Kentucky and to the other communities we serve. Not every idea will translate directly. Not every strategy will fit our unique circumstances. But every conversation has the potential to spark innovation, inspire collaboration, and encourage new ways of thinking.
 
Leadership is not about having all the answers.
 
Leadership is maintaining the humility to learn from others, the curiosity to explore new ideas, and the courage to apply those lessons in service to the communities we call home.
 
For me, that is the enduring value of experiences like the Commerce Lexington Leadership Visit.
 
The trip may last less than 72 hours.
 
The lessons can last much longer.

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